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The New 2017 Nvidia Shield Review

Recently I got the new Nvidia Shield TV and it’s an interesting product in the sense that brings together regular smart TV things like Netflix, gaming with a massive library of Android and console games with there GeForce Now streaming service and also smart home functionality with Google Assistant built in.

When I first booted up the shield I encountered my first issue with it, the updates. The first update I had to install took me over an hour to install (with relatively bad internet connection). This however isn’t a one time issue on the first day alone I had to install 4 different updates. Both the remote and controller needed firmware updates, and I needed a Google services update later in the day. Theese updates were very annoying but that’s not issue unique to the shield, nearly every platform is bogged down by constant updates to some extent.

Things do however get better for the Shield as the controller was great. I still prefer an Xbox 360 controller but this came close. The build quality of the body was amazing however the buttons and sticks felt to light at first but after 30 minutes of play I got used to it. I did appreciate the fact that they included a controller and remote, which you used to have to pay $50 for, though I would have rather them take out the remote and reduced the cost by $50.

With those controls you need games, and luckily there are plenty. The library is enormous between Gamestream, GeForce Now, and the library of optimized console games to go along with the normal Android TV games. I unfortunately have not checked out GeForce now so I will have a dedicated review for that coming soon but I can confirm that the Android games are good. The Nvidia shield does what mobile can’t in the sense that there are many great free games that I don’t feel overuse micro transactions. Some I would recommend are Xenowerk, Real Boxing, and Dead Trigger 2.

The Google Assistant feature is not as incredible as it was advertised as seeing that currently it currently requires you to press a button on a remote and I would describe the mics voice recognition as better than most but still not incredible. I do think this will change when Nvidia releases the Nvidia spot the Google Home speaker and mic combo that will plug directly into the wall and use Google Assistant. However there currently is no release date on this product as of now.

Even with certain flaws the Nvidia shield is by far both the best value as a streaming and gaming box and the best Android TV by far. There is still room for improvement but coming $100 cheaper than both the PS4 and Xbox One in there lowest configurations I would choose this over either of those consoles or any other streaming box on the market.